Tonight 17 of the 22 teams in action can impact their playoff positions based on tonight’s games. There will also be unlimited value from the handful of teams who have packed it in for the season. Let’s look at the 11-game daily fantasy basketball slate and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Don’t forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS for more great written daily fantasy basketball content, including the FREE Deep Dive — the most in-depth article in the industry.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Tuesday, May 11th
Yahoo Play of the Day — Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 48.41 | DraftKings: 47.39
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 15.0% | FanDuel 2.0% | DraftKings 0.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $42 | FanDuel $10,800 | DraftKings $10,700
There is still a path for the Lakers to overtake the Trail Blazers for the sixth seed and avoid the play-in tournament, though tonight is a key win. Portland has three games left and is protecting a 1.5-game edge. However, their matchups are tough heading into Utah tomorrow and then Phoenix on Thursday then wrapping things up at home against Denver. After tonight, Los Angeles hosts Houston tomorrow before playing in Indiana on Saturday and closing out the season in New Orleans on Sunday.
While the Knicks have been much improved on defense this year under Tom Thibodeau, Anthony Davis is one of the five best players in the league and is matchup-proof. Over his last two games, he is averaging 40 minutes, 25 field-goal attempts and 16 trips to the charity stripe. This has resulting in 39 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and 3.5 combined blocks/steals for 68.4 Yahoo fantasy points. His salary of $42 is at least a 15% discount, even considering the difficult matchup.
Kevin Durant: Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.74 | DraftKings: 48.7
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 21.2% | FanDuel 14.0% | DraftKings 22.0%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $46 | FanDuel $10,600 | DraftKings $9,900
This is the first night of a back-to-back with Brooklyn hosting San Antonio tomorrow. The Nets are 4.5-point road favorites, and Chicago will be doing everything it can to keep its slim play-in hopes flickering a little longer. Over their last 15 games, the Bulls have been playing at the second-slowest pace in the league, with 96.13 possessions per 48 minutes. They also are in the top third of the league from a defensive efficiency perspective in this timeframe. Ideally this game will go down to the wire, which would mean more minutes for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as they try to catch the 76ers for the best record in the Eastern Conference. While that is a longshot, the Bucks are just one game behind the Nets.
In his last four games, Durant has logged an average of 39.1 minutes and 22.5 field-goal attempts. This has culminated in 31.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 combined blocks/steals. The salary is fair across the board, which makes Durant a core NBA DFS pick.
Good Value
Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Clippers
It looks like the Raptors may be shutting down all of their key players for the remainder of the season. Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, Aron Baynes and Paul Watson are all out. Chris Boucher is currently listed as questionable with a knee injury, though it seems silly to have him play after missing the last nine games. In the event Boucher is active, gamers can eliminate Stanley Johnson and Freddie Gillespie from the player pool, as they are only viable on the sites where they are at a near-minimum salary and things get wacky in tournaments.
Malachi Flynn is a top priority, as he will be the main offensive facilitator and is still given a backup guard’s salary. Gary Trent Jr. has a fair salary, but he should approach 20 field-goal attempts, which gives him upside. Khem Birch has a relatively neutral salary, having taken most of the center minutes, and there are better options on other teams. That leaves Yuta Watanabe as a near-minimum option who could flirt with 20 to 24 fantasy points. Then there is the wild card in Jalen Harris. While he has not played as much as Watanabe, he will likely be running the offense when Flynn is off the court and also filling the offensive void at the shooting guard position. Harris played two seasons for Louisiana Tech before transferring to Nevada for his final season. Toronto drafted him in the second round, and they have been quite positive with his development. The hope is he is a late bloomer who will find success similar to VanVleet in the right opportunity. He makes for a tremendous value option tonight.
Sacramento Kings vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
While Sacramento has been all but officially eliminated from the play-in tournament, it is still going to be a source of fantasy goodness tonight. De’Aaron Fox remains sidelined with COVID-19, and rookie Tyrese Haliburton is out with a knee injury. Tonight is another matchup with the short-handed Thunder, and the Kings just rolled up a 126-98 victory against them on Sunday. Delon Wright has been seeing heavy minutes as the main guard, and he has not disappointed one bit. In four starts he has averaged 37 minutes, 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, seven assists and 4.3 combined blocks/steals. Terence Davis has been chipping in off the bench in this same stretch, with 28.2 minutes, 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and two combined blocks/steals. Maurice Harkless continues to start and see heavy minutes while chipping in with 25 to 30 fantasy points at a low salary across the DFS sites.
Marvin Bagley is a risky option and best left for the late slate, as he is not always guaranteed to be in the closing unit, failing to see the floor in the final frame of the last two games. Richaun Holmes can cause headaches with his propensity to foul, but it is not like the Thunder have many offensive frontcourt threats. Chimezie Metu is essentially the direct backup for Bagley, and he is a late-slate lottery ticket. Just do not play him on any rosters with Bagley.
Risky Value
With so many options tonight, gamers should not be playing anyone who causes discomfort. Sure, some superstars may have poor fantasy outings and the discount dandies can always fail, but there is no need to roster risky options. Also, with such a widely diverse player pool tonight, it will be a surprise to see many players cresting over 25 to 30% in the large-field tournaments. This should be an exciting night with a lot of fun, including three different short slates for which Awesemo also has specific premium content available.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Alex Caruso: LAL vs. NYKÂ – $11
- Jordan Pool: GSW vs. PHX – $10
- Jaden McDaniels: MIN at DET – $10
Final Thoughts on the Tuesday, May 11th NBA DFS Slate
With the Milwaukee – Orlando game not tipping off until 9 p.m. ET, news about some of the key Bucks players getting the night off may not be released until late. Be sure to stay vigilant and ready to make pivots or late swaps to gain an edge. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
